04 Mar 2025

 Ministry of Environment and Tourism is keen to promote tourism industry as an engine of Botswana’s economic growth as the sector has been prioritised in the National Transformation Strategy, Minister Wynter Mmolotsi has said.

Answering a question in Parliament, Mr Mmolotsi said as echoed in the Tourism Policy of 2021, heritage tourism had been identified as one of the important sectors in achieving the above and ensuring the country attained its aspirations of diversifying the tourism product from wildlife based to culture and tourism based.

He said his ministry through the department of National Museum and Monuments had since declared old Legislative Council building and the old Radio Botswana house as national monuments.

He said ownership of such old buildings would not necessarily change automatically to the National Museum.

He noted that land ownership of the old legislative building and old Radio Botswana belonged to the Ministry of Justice and Correctional Services and Department of Broadcasting Services respectively.

He said the ministry through Department of Museums had in the past done some minimal developments at the two heritage sites to improve the tourism potential of Lobatse Town Council through a project called the 100 monuments.

He said the developments included installation of signage at old Legislative Council which caters for road and information panel providing a brief history of the Legislative Council.

Further, he said restoration of one of the legislative council offices was undertaken that could be used as a site office, kitchenette and rest rooms.

Mr Mmolotsi said installation of services such as water and electricity was delayed due to issues of land ownership. He said for many years Department of Museum employed temporary field custodian to manage both sites.

He indicated that the role of the custodian was to clean the two sites but importantly to provide guiding services to visitors to the area. He said currently the two sites were serviced by employees of the Department of Museum based at Samora Machel Museum in Lobatse.

Mr Mmolotsi said his ministry would engage the Ministry of Justice and Correctional Services and Department of Broadcasting Services as well as Lobatse Town Council to partner in developing the two historic sites as potential tourist attraction areas.

He said tourism ministry in partnership with Lobatse Town Council was in the process of developing a programme for restoration of heritage monuments in Lobatse starting with Legislative Council buildings.

Mr Mmolotsi said the ministry would further clear surroundings of the two old buildings as well as to restore signage at the two sites through the 100 Monuments project in the next financial year 2025/26. ENDS
MP for Lentsweletau/Lephephe Mr Tshenolo Bogatsu had asked the minister if he would consider using the Lobatse old Legislative Council buildings and the old Radio Botswana house to stimulate heritage tourism. BOPA